Meet the beautiful and so lovely Pineapple Upside Down Cupcake!  It has all of the sweet, fruity deliciousness of that classic, full-sized Southern cake, only in more convenient, individual servings. And though it is easy enough to bake for an everyday family treat, it will also be well received at most any gathering.

I remember eating plenty of pineapple upside down cake as a child when I would visit Grandmother in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.  It’s so easy to make, even though you’re technically baking a cake from scratch, and it has a flavor loved by people young and old (and in between) alike.  She never made it into cupcakes, though.  It is such a clever idea and it brings a touch of fresh air to this classic, yet delicious recipe.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Big Mama’s Home Kitchen

USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS

Quick tip: Make a double batch and freeze the rest of them for a quick treat later!

Casseroles are rather convenient and often very flavorful, but not all of them exactly have a reputation for being extremely healthy.  If you are looking for a health-conscious, veggie-heavy casserole with rich flavor and creamy texture, this Healthy Spinach & Artichoke Casserole is an excellent choice! This is also a great way to make your kids eat their greens – with a recipe like this, it’s not going to be a problem!

I like spinach raw, in generous amounts in salad, and boiled artichoke with some salted butter is a nice treat, to me.  Not everyone is so keen on these vegetables in their basic or raw form, however, and after a while, they can be boring to eat by themselves.  Easy solution: mix them together with some cheese and bake them in a casserole.  Yummy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of iFOODreal

USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS

Quick tip: You can make this ahead by freezing the dish assembled and bake from frozen, increasing baking time by about 15 – 20 minutes.

It’s hard to beat the convenience of a quick one-pot meal, the savory flavor of cheese and sausage, or the satisfying simplicity of pasta.  In this One-Pan Sausage & Pasta recipe, you have all three; just three easy steps, and it’s done in about half an hour.

Both sausage and pasta are low-hassle food items that fill you up with good flavor.  So how do you make them even better?  Well, put them together and throw in some cheese, of course!  The right amount of cheese can make an already good dish just over-the-top fantastic (and of course you can adjust the amount you use according to taste).

Recipe and photo courtesy of Plain Chicken

USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS

Quick Tip: Serve this meal with homemade piping hot breadsticks smothered in garlic and parmesan cheese.

Why settle for just canned beans, when you can make something like these Home-Style Cheesy Baked Beans with a nice blend of beans, cheddar, and bacon?  It’s easy to make and bakes in about an hour.

Hey, I know that there’s a reason why those canned baked beans and pork & beans are so popular by themselves.  They certainly make for a nice quick side when you’re in an extreme rush or are in a setting where cooking anything super-fancy isn’t necessarily an option (I have been on a few camping trips in my day, believe it or not).  But if you are at home and have a little time for the oven to work its magic, why settle just for what is in a can, when you can make something so much more flavor rich (not to mention vitamin- and fiber-rich)–and make it so easily as this?

Recipe and photo courtesy of A Spectacled Owl

USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS

Quick tip:

Meatloaf is a popular family dinner item for a reason. My favorite thing about it is that it’s easy to double the recipe and make enough to feed even a larger group for two days. Sometimes, however, it can become a bit boring or “blah.”  Solve that problem and liven up your meatloaf night with this Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf recipe! It’ll be a huge hit and your family will beg you to make it again soon.

Meatloaf can be a hearty and satisfying main course, particularly when paired with some yummy potatoes and beans.  Some recipes out there just miss the mark a bit, though, at least in my opinion, and even a good, tried-and-true recipe can become a bit of a yawner, after a while.  This recipe certainly isn’t boring.  After making one small adjustment, I thought that it came out beautifully.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Salad in a Jar

USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS

Quick tip: You can add some brown sugar to the ketchup if you want a sweeter flavor.

This Baked Potato and Bacon Soup is another one of those easy to prepare creations that is rather fancy-looking (and rich-tasting), enough so that it will do nicely at most any gathering. Yet, it is perfect as part of a hectic weeknight dinner.  It’s a low-hassle dish that comfort-food dreams are made of.

I don’t know about you, but after a harried holiday, even one like Labor Day, I tumble into the following week feeling that I need a vacation from the vacation.  It’s not that I’m on death’s door or anything, just a bit worn out and crabby and sore enough that I don’t feel like doing much more than what is absolutely necessary to do right away.  Surely I’m not the only one?  Well, this soup is good for times like that.  With a little advance prep, you can take this soup from necessary ingredients to fully cooked in, oh, 15 minutes, absolute tops–really more like 10 minutes.  And by advance prep, no, I don’t mean any elaborate chopping or fancy pre-cooking; there’s none of that here.  Just fry some bacon and throw some potatoes in the oven for a while, and you’ll be good to go.  That’s not so hard, is it?

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Kitchn

USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS

Quick tip: Use leftover potatoes or bake some the night before to make this soup.

This Chipotle Chicken Nacho Casserole is loaded with savory Tex-Mex flavor.  Do the fairly straightforward prep in advance, and you can have this filling, savory dish cooked in about twenty minutes – quick enough for an easy lunch or hectic weeknight meal. I have to hand it to Rachel Ray; she really knows how to throw down in the kitchen! I love the idea of turning that colorful Mexican-inspired cuisine into an easy casserole. With recipes like this, there’s no need for the middle of the week to turn into a “food dead zone.”

If you are concerned about the spiciness of this recipe, just go light on the extra jalapeños or leave them out entirely.  There is plenty enough other seasoning here to do without the additional heat if you are more the type that puts up with the spicy heat than enjoys it. Cooking the chipotle in olive oil with the herbs and other spices for a few minutes before baking it softens its heat, as well. And the cheese blend draws all of the flavors together rather nicely. As-is, the recipe serves four people.

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Rachael Ray Show

USE THE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE AND INGREDIENTS

Quick tip: Use your favorite cheese for this recipe!